At this trade fair, the industry traditionally presents its new developments and technological visions. Ziemann Holvrieka GmbH, Ludwigsburg, is looking forward to presenting its innovative components, future-oriented technologies and sustainable solutions for the beverage, dairy, liquid food and edible oil industry. The scope of supply and services ranges from individual components to turnkey production plants, including individual recipe and process development in the company’s own pilot plant.

The first focus of the trade fair presentation in hall 5.1 at stand A-044 is a proven core competence of Ziemann Holvrieka – tank construction. As one of the largest tank manufacturers in the world, Ziemann Holvrieka covers this sector with all types of tanks and silos made of stainless steel – in particular fermentation tanks, process tanks, storage and blending tanks. These are manufactured in production facilities in North America, Asia or Europe and are preferably delivered in one piece. Otherwise, the assembly is carried out with own technologies on construction sites all over the world. The know-how and extraordinary vertical range of manufacture including the in-house production of tank bottoms and tops, guarantees highest quality as well as adherence to dates and deadlines – all this with shortest delivery times thanks to corresponding capacities. With the high-quality hygienic design, a maximum of biological product safety can be achieved, which also covers aseptic applications.

Solid-liquid separation in the food industry

The second focus is on the solid-liquid separation and in particular on the dynamic mash filtration system NESSIE by ZIEMANN. By means of four rotary disk filters, connected in series, NESSIE combines the process steps of separation, extraction in the counterflow procedure as well as the dynamic washing of solids. Due to this process combination, products can be processed with the identical system regardless of temperature ranges, viscosities, raw material sources or suspensions. Even the smallest batch volumes can be processed at any time. A continuous process can also be implemented.

Thanks to an effective extraction process, NESSIE by ZIEMANN achieves the best possible results with minimal use of the washing medium in the fluid or solid separation. Two examples are the lautering work in the brewery (fluid) and the separation of solids in the food industry, where the pressureless process is also particularly gentle on the product. The proven hygienic design, the very compact construction, the simple expandability and the possibility of targeted water savings by means of recuperation are additional features of the system. Another important aspect from the operator’s point of view is the high process speed of the system.
As a further separation technology, filter presses are not only to be considered for breweries, but also for other areas of food production. DRAGONFLY by ZIEMANN is designed as a thin-layer mash filter, which processes even the largest charges quickly and reliably. An alternative is BUTTERFLY by ZIEMANN, which is equipped with a so-called “mixed” plate package, where the chamber and the membrane plates are alternately arranged. By using membrane plates, the dry substance in the solids can be significantly increased.

This prize was awarded to the Left Hand Brewing Company from Longmont, Colorado – even if this brewery does not need a doctor’s visit. The Left Hand Brewing Co. operates so successfully on the market with its various beer styles, that the brewery produces at the absolute limits of its capacities. Nevertheless, the four-day visit of the “brew doc” in the person of Konstantin Ziller, head of the Ziemann Holvrieka pilot plant and experienced commissioning engineer, resulted in some interesting ideas. The team of the Left Hand Brewing Co., Bryce Troy (Automation), Dick Doore (owner) and Jeff Joslyn (brewmaster) summarized that the visit of the brew doc was definitely a great benefit for the brewery.

Agreement on strategic alliance with process technology and packaging specialist DrinkTech

For Ziemann Holvrieka GmbH, Israel has developed into an important growth market. In order to expand their presence and thus to further optimize the sales structure, Ziemann Holvrieka has agreed upon a strategic alliance with Alon Tikotzky and his company DrinkTech Ltd. DrinkTech is a process technology and packaging specialist in the beverage, food, brewing, dairy and pharmaceutical industry, which is very successful in Israel.

“Alon is an experienced and well connected expert & networker, who now helps us to intensify the contact with our existing customers. But new segments, such as the growing craft beer scene, will also benefit from our collaboration. Of course, Alon will also access the portfolio of our sister company DME Process Systems, which covers the area of smaller brewhouses and cold blocks with extraordinarily attractive solutions,” explained Florian Schneider, Sales Director EMEA and APAC of Ziemann Holvrieka GmbH.

The Southern Russian Private Brewery LLC also known as Krop-Pivo has emerged successful following all the hard times seen in the Russian beer market. The brewery has had an interesting history and has turned its fortunate through their current owner’s courage, skill and commitment to a new state-of-the-art brewery.

“Ostbayern” brewery’s eventful history

In 1908 a German brewer founded the “Ostbayern” brewery in the city of Kropotkin, situated on the river Kuban. Unfortunately during the Second World War the brewery was badly damaged. It was rebuilt in 1953 in Kropotkin allowing production at the brewery to be resumed. Between the 1970s and 90s the brand was highly sought-after in its core market around Krasnodar and also far beyond its borders. During the Perestroika movement in the 1990s, the brewery had many owners until it eventually went bankrupt. This all turned around in 2005 when Mikhail Homenkov acquired the brewery. Today the brewery is better known as Krop-Pivo and equipped with a state-of-the-art Ziemann Holvrieka brewhouse and cold block. In 2018 the brewery looks forward to celebrating its 110^th year anniversary.

Steaming ahead with a Danish locomotive

Mikhail Homenkov developed and established the new brewhouse in 2009 together with Holvrieka, the Danish stainless steel tank manufacturing company. This relationship built on the classical brewing tradition practiced at the brewery and combined it with a new state-of-the-art brewing technology. This was the start of a long-lasting cooperation. In subsequent years the brewery has been expanded further with an additional 13 cylindro-conical tanks in 2010, with 10 more in 2011, another 14 tanks in 2013 and another 5 CCTs in 2016. “Holvrieka products were the locomotive of our successful market entry and our continuous growth” emphasised Homenkov.

During the last round of expansion in the fermentation and storage capacity, the brewhouse reached its maximum production limit. Homenkov explained that “due to the rapidly growing demand in the market, we had to increase our beer output. However, the modernisation of the existing brewhouse without interruption of production was not possible even in the winter season where beer demand is lower. Therefore we focussed building a completely new brewhouse.”

Limited space and a tight delivery schedule

Space was tight for the installation of the new brewhouse, which also needed to include several silos and the new malt intake system. In addition to this, the new Brewhouse needed to be in production in Summer 2016 with a decision to build only happening in Autumn 2015. “Due to the shortness of time, this was not easy for both the supplier and for us, who were responsible for the architecture and construction”, said Homenkov with hindsight.

It was much easier for Homenkov to work with Holvrieka in the brewhouse area as they had recently merged with brewing technology provider Ziemann. Homenkov explaining his choice said, “The offered solution has met our ideas in terms of performance and technology. In addition, we were already able to convince ourselves of the high reliability of their plants and their good service.”

New brewhouse: 12 brews per day with 200 hl cast out wort

On April 25, 2016, the real starting signal fell on the construction site in southern Russia. The key data for the brewhouse to be built were 12 brews per day with 200 hl cast out wort with a 3,000 kg malt charge. The new Brewhouse included a wet crushing mill, two Colibri mashing systems, one cereal cooker, a Lotus lauter tun (5,500 mm diameter) and Shark wort boiling system for wort preheating. In addition, the brewhouse was equipped with a whirlpool, wort aeration system, brewing water system, cooling and CIP systems, the steam supply for the brewhouse as well as the corresponding automation and control equipment. In addition to the hardware, Ziemann Holvrieka was also responsible for the engineering, supervisory installation and technological commissioning. Homenkov commented that “the plant has achieved its performance immediately and has been working reliably since then.”

In June 2016, the brewhouse project was completed. In this short period, the installation and commissioning were carried out and the planned 12 brews per days were achieved. “Of course, we would have liked to have everything earlier – as we say, already yesterday. However, taking into account the external factors such as the severe winters in Russia, the time schedule was kept exactly.”

Lower energy, higher yield, consistent taste

The maximum annual capacity of the new brewery is now 650,000 hl. This capacity expansion alongside other investments has realised increases in the raw material efficiency, improvement in the beer quality and realisation of energy-saving technologies. Homenkov pointed out “We have a substantial production increase with virtually the same energy consumption. The specific energy requirement declined significantly. Our technologists have also noticed a higher extract yield and our customers a better taste stability.” This feedback is from over one and a half years of operation.

Originally, the plan was to shut down the old brewhouse and only to brew with the new brewhouse. Now both brewhouses are operated in parallel to meet the large demand in the market. In order to keep up with this growth the further expansion plans at the cold block are planned. “I am highly satisfied with the project executions delivered by our partner and for our future expansions certainly will look forward to cooperate with Ziemann Holvrieka again.”

Target for > 50 % increase by the end of 2018

Krop-Pivo offers a wide range of beers with eleven types currently available. The sales and marketing is focussed on the Kuban region, the Black Sea Coast, the Crimean peninsula as well as many important centres of the Russian Federation, such as Rostov, Volgograd, Kazan, St. Petersburg and Moscow. The brewery intends to increase its overall production capacity for this core market by another 50 percent by the end of 2018. The production of attractive non-alcoholic beverages based on natural syrups and natural Kvas shall round off the range of products in the future.

This confidence towards growth is based on a strong foundation. In the last few years there have been several signs of greater stability in the Russian beer market. Factors such as the economic development, the demographic and supply are all favourable. For example, the overall economic situation in Russia is more stable than in previous years. In times of changes, beer has always been a popular beverage. The volume of beer consumed by various age groups in Russia is more balanced. Meaning that the overall market is broader and other consumer segments can compensate the breaking-off of a “beer generation”. Furthermore, the decline in the sales volume of large international brewery groups has been compensated by the growth of small and medium-sized breweries such as the owner-managed breweries like Southern Russian LLC Krop-Pivo in Kropotkin. The trend in Russia is for modern brewing technology up to 200 hl cast out wort production scale has been growing steadily for quite some time.

A cooperation consisting of the partners Ziemann Holvrieka GmbH, the University Weihenstephan-Triesdorf and the Karmeliten Brauerei, as the visible partner for the Energy Academy, is currently revolutionizing the use of energy in the food and beverage industry. “With the concept of the energy self-sufficient brewery, we have committed ourselves to a sustainable beer production with the greatest possibly savings in energy. We are delighted to receive this extraordinary award”, said Christoph Kämpf, Managing Director of the Karmeliten Brauerei after the ceremony. Together with the brewmaster Thomas Eichenseher and Klaus Gehrig, Managing Director of Ziemann Holvrieka GmbH, he accepted the glass trophy at the gala event in Berlin.

Since 2013, the initiators of the Energy Awards – the Handelsblatt and GE – have been awarding innovative, future-oriented and promising projects once a year, which use energy optimally and thus increase their efficiency and save energy. The winners are selected by the Energy Academy, a renowned jury. The Energy Academy sees itself as a “think tank” of the energy industry and unites experts, scientists, entrepreneurs and politicians around the topic of energy. In the five categories of industry, mobility, smart infrastructure, start-ups and municipal utilities, the companies are awarded as pioneers of their respective industries, who contribute to shape and advance the development of the energy turnaround. In the category “Industry”, the Karmeliten Brauerei was able to convince the jury with the concept of the energy self-sufficient brewery with an optimal use of raw materials.

In 2013, the Karmeliten Brauerei, which celebrates its 650^th anniversary this year as the oldest company in Straubing, was already awarded the ‘Federal Prize for outstanding innovative craft achievement’, together with its partner Ziemann Holvrieka GmbH. Another milestone is the ‘Best Practice Label’, awarded by the German Energy Agency ‘dena’, for the energy-efficient cascade brewhouse, developed and implemented by Ziemann Holvrieka GmbH. In 2017, the nomination for the German Environment Prize followed.

For several years, the brewery plant manufacturer Ziemann Holvrieka GmbH, the University of Weihenstephan-Triesdorf and the Karmeliten Brauerei have been dealing with the sustainable and environmentally design of the production facility in Straubing and its processes.

The objectives of the innovative concept are as follows:

• Reduction of the use of primary energy
• Own generation of electricity
• Use of natural energy sources (solar thermal energy, Fresnel lenses)
• Energy recovery from wastewater
• Transformation of heat into cold
• Use of natural cold
• Reduction of peak loads (storage technology)
• Recording, evaluation, analysis of energy consumption for an energetic production order planning

Or, in simple terms: almost all energies generated on the grounds of the Karmeliten Brauerei in Straubing shall be used several times in order to be as independent as possible of the energy market.
Among other things, this concept also presents exceptional aspects for the climate and environmental protection. Based on this concept, the Karmeliten Brauerei already avoids about 40 % of the carbon dioxide emissions. By the end of 2018, the carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced by 99.5 % by further investments. This means that the production of 200 crates of beer produces the same amount of carbon dioxide emissions as it has been produced for only one crate until 2015.

As of January 1, 2022, Florian Schneider has taken over the position as Managing Director Sales and Marketing / CCO of Ziemann Holvrieka GmbH, Ludwigsburg. He succeeds Lars Roed Nielsen, who moved as CEO to the sister company Ziemann Holvrieka Asia in China. “In his previous areas of responsibility, first as Sales Manager EMEA and later as Sales Manager Process Technology, Florian Schneider has done an outstanding job. The expansion of his responsibilities to the entire division will further advance our company”, says Klaus Gehrig, CEO of Ziemann Holvrieka GmbH, adding “With his global network, which he constantly maintains, as well as his pronounced intercultural understanding, he is predestined for the upcoming tasks.” 

Florian Schneider is a trained brewer and maltster. After his vocational training, he worked for several years in various Bavarian breweries. Following his studies in industrial engineering at the University of Applied Sciences in Landshut, Schneider continued his professional career in the sales department of a well-known brewery plant manufacturer in the Asia-Pacific region before joining Ziemann Holvrieka in 2017. Here, he initially held the position of Sales Manager EMEA, but was soon also responsible for the APAC region and subsequently for global sales in the area of process technology. In this way, he made a significant contribution to the company’s success. About his new position as Managing Director at Ziemann Holvrieka, Florian Schneider says: “In recent years, we have realized many new projects in a wide range of industries and countries and gained very satisfied customers. I will do my utmost to ensure that we continue this successful path. In doing so, I can rely on a highly motivated team. I am very much looking forward to the new task and the future challenges.”

By means of a 250-ton heavy-duty crane, the lauter tun could be lifted through the open brewhouse roof as a complete unit, inclusive of substructure, drive, various pipes and the internal mechanical components. The lauter tuns of the other two brewing lines will be replaced by Ziemann Holvrieka in spring and autumn 2016. “The entire conversion takes place during ongoing production. Thus, we always have to put one of our three brewing lines out of operation. Therefore, the time frame for the execution of the work is tight” , explains Dirk Christeinicke, head of brewing technology and project manager for the replacement of the lauter tuns – the major challenge. The new lauter tun must have been fully integrated into the production process after a maximum period of six weeks. After installation of the first lauter tun, the brewhouse roof was closed only provisionally, in order to gain time already now for the modernization of brewing lines 2 and 3.

A further part of the project are 12 cylindro-conical tanks with a height of 15 meters, 5 meters in diameter and a fermentation capacity of around 2,000 hl. According to Ballast Point, Ziemann Holvrieka’s innovative technology, the quality of the products as well as the great flexibility in the project management were decisive factors for placing the order with Ziemann Holvrieka.

Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits Company was founded in 1996. With more than 40 beer styles, the company is today one of the fastest growing craft breweries in the USA. Compared to the year 2014/2015, the annual output increased again by 100 percent. Other pillars of the company, with around 500 employees, are distilled spirits as well as the trade with equipment and raw materials for home brewers. An interesting detail: on November 15, 2015 Constellation Brands Inc. announced the acquisition of Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits Company for one billion US dollars. In 2013, the same company already acquired the Compañía Cervecera de Coahuila, Mexico, in whose current expansion phase from 10 to 25 million hectoliters per year, Ziemann Holvrieka also plays a central role.

As part of this expansion stage, Holvrieka will supply ten so-called “Dual Purpose Vessels” (DPV). These tanks are suitable for both process and bright beer tank functions. This will provide the producer of the Jamaican top brand “Red Stripe” with a maximum of flexibility regarding its fermentation, storage and bright beer tank capacities. ZIEMANN will plan and build the new semi-automatic cellar. In addition, ZIEMANN will be responsible for the pipework and the system integration inclusive of the control system. The entire project shall be completed by the end of September 2015. Already in 2014, ZIEMANN and Holvrieka had successfully carried out a cellar modernization project for Desnoes & Geddes. At that time, Holvrieka supplied six DPVs and one Horap tank. As in 2015, ZIEMANN acted as a planner and system integrator.